_   I was lucky enough to receive a review copy of Jon Reisfeld’s novel The Last Way Station: Hitler’s Final Journey! The premise of the book is simple: after committing suicide, Hitler finds himself in a strange afterlife where he is forced to see the pain he caused through his victims’ eyes.


    There are a lot of ideas in this slim book. Reisfeld takes on the question of evil. What is the most basic root of evil? What allows one human to commit the atrocities for which Hitler is infamous?


    I found some of the characterization to be a bit light. Hitler and the supernatural caseworker seemed more like sketches than fully realized characters. However, I was willing to overlook that slight drawback due to the strength of the plot. Who doesn’t want to see Hitler get his just desserts? Fortunately, Reisfeld doesn’t rely on fire and brimstone and over the top revenge fantasies a la Inglourious Basterds – instead, he digs into the heart of what justice and humanity are all about.


    One of the strongest sections is the story-within-a-story centered on Jacob, a Jewish man struggling to save his family. In stripped down prose, Reisfeld creates some chapters that run the gamut from hopeful to heartbreaking. I would recommend this book on the strength of this section alone!


    Thank you so much for sharing this novel with the world, Jon! I greatly appreciate the opportunity to read and review your novel and feature it in the Mega Book Tour.

 


Comments

Lori Strongin link
01/25/2012 07:14

Can't say this is a book I would enjoy reading. My grandfather's whole family died in the concentration camps. And with as much vindictiveness I feel towards Hilter and the Nazi party, I really don't see myself enjoying a book where he's made the protagonist and given any chance of redemption. Sorry, but I'll be skipping this one.


Smiles!
Lori

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Jon Reisfeld link
02/04/2012 07:52

Lori,
While this may sound like a book offering Hitler "redemption," it's not. What it does offer him is accountability and judgment for his crimes. I think you would be pleasantly surprised by the narrative -- and pleased with the types of moral issues, related to the Holocaust, that it addresses. But, on a visceral level, I understand where you're coming from. (I had family in Poland and in the area surrounding Kiev, so believe me, I share your feelings about Hitler.)

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